The Fairfield softball would be hard pressed to find a better time to be riding its longest winning streak of the year.
The Trojans added two wins to its total with a doubleheader sweep of Albia Tuesday night, but more importantly, they now have four straight wins heading into Saturday’s win-or-go-home regional opener at sixth-ranked Keokuk. Fairfield won Tuesday’s opener 13-6 before taking a 6-5 win in extra innings in the nightcap.
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The numbers indicate progress.
Not in terms of wins and losses, but rather in terms in participation.
“The first year, we had 18 kids out (in grades 8-12),” said Coach Fanaye Kifletsadik, who is in Year 3 of her building project with the Cedar Rapids Washington softball program. “Now, we’ve got 35.
“Our first goal was to get our numbers up and change the mentality here. I think it’s starting to happen.”
Washington picked up a rare win Friday morning, rallying from a four-run deficit to defeat Midland, 7-6, as part of …

For a well-traveled coach like Gary Stamp, this is one long honeymoon period.
Stamp is in his fourth year of his 13th coaching job. He’s enjoying it as much as the day he was hired. Maybe more.
“This is a unique group of kids,” Stamp said. “They like the game. They like each other. They’re fun to be around.”
It’s more fun when you’re winning, of course. And these days, winning is all that female athletes at Mount Vernon High School are doing.
The Mustangs are reigning Class 2A state …

Larry Niemeyer’s magic number remains at 6.
Cedar Rapids Jefferson was rained out in its double-header against Cedar Falls on Tuesday. The J-Hawks and the Tigers will play today.
Niemeyer is 1,994-410 in 50 seasons.
Later this week, the J-Hawks (7-2) face Waterloo West in a double-header Thursday at Waterloo, then a home tournament next weekend — Friday against Bondurant-Farrar (3 p.m.) and Southeast Polk (9:30 p.m.), Saturday against Maquoketa (10:30 a.m.) and Solon (6 p.m.).

The following is a softball schedule for Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
Coach Larry Niemeyer needs 13 wins to reach 2,000 for his career. It’s not a matter of if it will happen this season, but when. A good bet would be sometime around the Jefferson Classic, June 11-12.
There are some challenges before that, most notably double-headers against Dubuque Wahlert, Iowa City West, Cedar Falls and Waterloo West.
Jefferson has a talented, veteran team that likely will be ranked in the top five in Class 4A. Top returners include pitcher Hannah Petersen, shortstop Morgan …

CEDAR RAPIDS — The annual rumors are out there.
But Larry Niemeyer said Monday that he intends to coach girls’ basketball at Cedar Rapids Jefferson next season, which would be his 51st.
“As far as I know, I’m coming back,” he said. “I’m not planning to retire.”
Niemeyer holds an 854-323 career record, 520-232 in 32 years at Jefferson. The J-Hawks finished 12-10 this season after falling to Waterloo West in a Class 4A regional semifinal.
The nation’s winningest softball coach, Niemeyer needs 13 victories to reach 2,000 for his career.

One-to-nothing high school softball games are about to become much less common.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has announced that the pitching rubber will be moved back 3 feet, to 43 feet, next summer.
In July, the National Federation of High Schools mandated the change, effective 2011, “to bring more offense to the high school level,” according to IGHSAU assistant director Joel Oswald.
Iowa is making the switch a year ahead of the mandate.
“I think it will be a good change. We’d might as well go to it now; we’re early …

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union announced Tuesday that the pitching distance for high school and junior high softball will be moved back from 40 to 43 feet for the 2010 season.
Jeff Linder reported in July, during the state softball tournament, that the new distance would be adopted by the summer of 2011. http://iowaprepsports.com/2009/07/25/softball-pitchers-moving-back-3-feet/
You can read this and other rule changes in the release from the IGHSAU.
IGHSAU Softball Rules Changes Effective Summer 2010
 
Effective with the summer 2010 softball season, the pitching distance for junior high and high school softball …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Chicagoans take a lot of pride in 16-inch slow pitch softball.
After all, the game originated there in the late 1800s with the 16-inch no-glove variety becoming popular in the 1920s. The Windy City has dominated the game since its inception.
Things haven’t changed as Traffic won the Amateur Softball Association Men’s 16-inch slow pitch A national tournament Sunday at Tait Cummins Sports Complex.
Traffic beat OBI, also of Chicago, 16-0, in five innings in the final championship game. OBI forced an “if-game” with a 9-3 victory in the first …

Cedar Rapids finally gets its chance to host its national championship. It’s just a year later than expected.
The city won a bid to host the 2008 Amateur Softball Association men’s 16-inch slow pitch Class A national tournament, but flooding of the Cedar River forced the event to Urbandale.
The ASA worked with local groups to secure this year’s event instead, and it starts tonight at Tait Cummins Sports Complex. First-round games begin at 6:30.
“We’re thrilled about it,” Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director of Sports Tourism Mary Lee Malmberg …